Compare Prices on Norwegian Epic Eastern Caribbean Cruises

Great time on the Epic

Sail Date:
April 2012

Destination:
Eastern Caribbean

Embarkation:
Miami

The good:

The ship is incredible, there's always something interesting going on, even if it's just people-watching in the Atrium. The specialty restaurants are all superb, and the service in all of the restaurants we tried (everything but manhattan, teppanyaki, and cagney's) was top-notch, except o'sheehan's, which is very slow.

The stateroom was plenty big enough, the shower/toilet configuration was no issue for us, and the aft-facing balcony was perhaps the best choice we made. Views were spectacular coming into and leaving ports of call. The stateroom steward was incredibly helpful and attentive. Room service breakfasts were very convenient for port days.

The quality of food and drink ranged from outstanding to meh. Moderno was a standout, as was La Cucina. The coffee in the Atrium Cafe was great. Drinks whipped up at Maltings by the two bartenders were always perfect. Try the Oak and Ginger, one of the best drinks i've ever had. Room service More
alcoholic drinks were so weak and bland that it was shocking, especially at $9 each. Wife didn't care for her dinner at Taste, but mine was good, if not amazing.

The ports were all incredible in their own ways, it was our first time visiting all of them. St. Maarten is just gorgeous, probably the most beautiful place i've ever seen. Lots of irritating, pushy people trying to sell stuff on the dutch side, but the natural beauty of the place made up for it. Philipsburg had some nice shopping, and lots of character. The French side was totally different in every way - no one selling stuff, less stunning in-your-face scenery perhaps but TONS of charm, and lots of great food and shopping. St. Thomas was gorgeous from every angle, tons of interesting stuff to see in Charlotte-Amalie. Great food and drinks at Jen's Cafe downtown. Great shopping at a little weird mall in an alley, can't remember the name. Nassau was busy and hectic, but awesome. Tons of great shopping, beautiful beaches, very friendly people.

The Blue Man Group was awesome, do not miss it. Cirque was great too, but it was more-or-less impossible to eat your meal while the show was going on, what with the need for applauding every 5 seconds. The tables were cramped too. Legends was good, but not great.

The Bad:

Embarkation was slow, and the wait to check in was ridiculous. By the time I got on the ship I was in a bad mood.

The art auction is a total scam. We sat through 2 hours of it waiting for pieces we were interested in to come up for bid, but the auctioneer just wanted to blabber on with a sales pitch the entire time instead of auctioning art. Super obnoxious, like what I imagine a mandatory time-share seminar might be like. We left in the middle of it.

The photographers (paparazzi) interrupting your dinners to take your photo was obnoxious too. The photos were on average, terrible, and incredibly overpriced. Very tacky altogether. Fortunately they will buzz off quickly when asked.

The glass on the balconies get covered with salt residue within a day or two at sea, and become difficult to see through. They put a piece of paper in the daily newsletter that said they would be cleaned on port days, but ours never was.

Disembarkation was faster, but the wait for a taxi (in the rain, mind you) was ridiculous.

The Ugly:

Lots of fellow passengers were rude, trashy people who made small chunks of the trip unpleasant here and there. Deck 15 is basically a zoo all day every day, with children running wild and people shoving and nudging to get wherever they're going. Many people seemed unaware of the custom of letting people step off of the elevator before trying to barge on. Incredibly rude.

The worst though, were the people two floors above us, who on the last day of the cruise decided to try and spit and pour stuff onto the heads of people on balconies below theirs. Super classy, guys.

Overall:

Overall the cruise was great, NCL was great, the Epic was great, and i'd do it again in a heartbeat. Already thinking about booking a mediterranean cruise next year on the same ship! Less

Compare Prices on Norwegian Epic Eastern Caribbean Cruises

Cabin review: B112316

The stateroom was plenty big enough, the shower/toilet configuration was no issue for us, and the aft-facing balcony was perhaps the best choice we made. Views were spectacular coming into and leaving ports of call. The stateroom steward was incredibly helpful and attentive.

Port and Shore Excursions

St. Maarten is just gorgeous, probably the most beautiful place i've ever seen. Lots of irritating, pushy people trying to sell stuff on the dutch side, but the natural beauty of the place made up for it. Philipsburg had some nice shopping, and lots of character. The French side was totally different in every way - no one selling stuff, less stunning in-your-face scenery perhaps but TONS of charm, and lots of great food and shopping.

St. Thomas was gorgeous from every angle, tons of interesting stuff to see in Charlotte-Amalie. Great food and drinks at Jen's Cafe downtown. Great shopping at a little weird mall in an alley, can't remember the name.